Planned Parenthood offers life-altering hormones to minors as young as 16 with minimal oversight, sparking calls to strip the organization of its $700 million in annual taxpayer funding.
Quick Takes
- Live Action’s undercover investigation reveals Planned Parenthood prescribes cross-sex hormones to 16-year-olds, sometimes on the first visit without mental health evaluations.
- Planned Parenthood has dramatically expanded hormone treatments, increasing from 32 locations in 2016 to nearly 600 centers today.
- The organization’s “gender-affirming care” services increased by 49% from 2021 to 2022.
- These treatments can cause permanent infertility and other serious side effects in developing adolescents.
- House Republicans are considering measures to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which received $670.4 million in taxpayer funding in 2021-2022.
Undercover Investigation Reveals Concerning Practices
Pro-life organization Live Action recently conducted an undercover investigation into Planned Parenthood’s practices regarding hormone treatments for minors. Their findings revealed that Planned Parenthood clinics across the country are prescribing cross-sex hormones to teenagers as young as 16, often with minimal medical oversight or parental involvement. In recorded phone calls, Planned Parenthood staff assured callers they could obtain hormones quickly, sometimes on the first visit, without requiring prior therapy or mental health clearance.
Live Action President Lila Rose described the findings as “a chilling reality” about America’s largest abortion provider. “Planned Parenthood is fast-tracking vulnerable children into irreversible hormone treatments with almost no medical oversight,” said Rose. “These dangerous drugs can sterilize, stunt growth and leave lifelong scars. This is not healthcare. It is child abuse, and it must be stopped.”
When contacted about these allegations, Planned Parenthood did not respond to requests for comment from multiple news organizations.
Rapid Expansion of Hormone Services
The investigation comes amid a dramatic expansion of Planned Parenthood’s hormone therapy services. According to a Heritage Foundation report, nearly 600 Planned Parenthood centers now offer cross-sex hormones, up from just 32 in 2016. This represents a massive shift in the organization’s service model. Data shows these “gender-affirming care” services increased by 49% from 2021 to 2022 alone, making Planned Parenthood the second largest provider of gender hormone therapies in the United States.
Critics suggest this expansion is driven by a need to compensate for lost abortion revenue following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. Planned Parenthood’s annual reports show a significant increase in “Other Procedures” from 17,791 in 2020 to 256,550 in 2021, a category that includes hormone treatments but lacks transparent reporting about exactly what services are provided.
Medical Concerns and Congressional Scrutiny
Medical experts have raised concerns about the long-term effects of hormone treatments on developing adolescents. These treatments can cause significant side effects, including permanent infertility, cardiovascular problems, and bone density issues. Research conducted by the Heritage Foundation suggests that easy access to hormone therapy may actually be linked to a higher risk of suicide, contradicting claims that these treatments are always beneficial.
“This finding contradicts the claim that medical treatments for gender dysphoria are “lifesaving.””
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy has criticized Planned Parenthood for its lack of transparency regarding these services. “I am troubled that your organization buried data on the breadth of the services it provides. Gender transition services are experimental at best and permanently damaging at worst,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Therefore, the American people deserve to have the full picture of the gender transition services your organization provides to ensure no taxpayer dollars fund these procedures.”
Funding Debates Intensify
Live Action is now urging Congress to defund Planned Parenthood, which received $670.4 million in taxpayer funding during the 2021-2022 fiscal year. House Republicans are reportedly considering measures to end federal funding for the organization as part of broader budgetary discussions. Representative Dan Crenshaw has proposed legislation to prevent federal funding for hospitals that provide gender transition procedures to minors, a move that could impact Planned Parenthood’s operations.
This push coincides with actions across conservative states to protect minors from what they consider experimental medical interventions. Several Western European countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Finland, have recently become more restrictive with gender transition treatments for minors, citing concerns about insufficient evidence for their long-term safety and effectiveness.
